commentGregg’s Cycles
BusinessWeek/Architectural Record Awards Citation
This bike shop in a suburb east of Seattle “was an attempt to take a simple container and elevate it to an elegant retail environment,” according to Scot Carr, AIA, an associate at Weinsetin A|U.
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After securing a site on Bellevue’s main commercial strip (a small office building was demolished to make way for the new store), Stan Gregg of Gregg’s Cycles, a major bicycle retailer with two other locations in the area, approached the architects with the commission. To give the relatively small store a street presence, Weinstein proposed a large, attention-grabbing facade, with dozens of bicycles seemingly stuck to the glass.
Carr says Bellevue is a car-dominated town, making parking a must for the store. Therefore, the retail floors are raised off the ground to accommodate 20 cars underneath, as well as a small bicycle testing ground for use on rainy days.
Once upstairs, large, open spans with durable concrete floors and basic finishes stand up to the wear and tear of the 12,000-square-foot retail environment. On the top floor, a large service area with a rear-facing deck and floor-to-ceiling window provides light and air for technicians who are so often placed in dank spaces in other bike stores.
Locals have reacted with enthusiasm to the new structure—sales were up 14 percent compared to the store’s prior home (in a leased space a few blocks away), and it was the most profitable location for Gregg’s Cycles in 2008. In all, Weinstein took a set of modest requirements and created a notable asset for both the company and the community.
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